Top 10 most memorable Penguins’ games of 2010-11

After an early playoff exit by the Penguins several weeks ago, the disappointment for many fans has likely started to abate.  If Sean Bergenheim’s three playoff goals against Pittsburgh, including his Game 7 winner, was like a spear to the heart, then there is some small consolation knowing that he pushed the spear right through Washington as well and is beginning to do the same to Boston too.  While nothing can sugar-coat the devastation of defeat, one can look back at a completed season and fondly remember both the highs and the lows.

In 2010-11, there were very high highs and very low lows for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Once again, this space accepted the standard challenge of whittling down an entire season’s worth of games into a “Top 10 List”.

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The following are the ten most memorable games of the 2010-11 regular season in chronological order.

November 27, 2010 - Calgary 1 @ Pittsburgh 4. Captain Sidney Crosby gave Thanksgiving weekend patrons their money’s worth when he scored a hat trick in a Saturday matinee at Consol Energy Center.  The game began on an auspicious note when Crosby was hooked by Brendan Morrison at 4:14 of the first period and awarded a penalty shot.  Calgary goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff stopped Crosby but #87 stormed back to score at even strength and on the power play – his 200th career marker - before he iced the game with 37 seconds left by sliding the puck into an empty net while killing a late Pens’ penalty.  The shorthanded goal and the unsuccessful penalty shot meant Crosby just missed joining Mario Lemieux in the “goals scored in every way” club.

December 14 – Pittsburgh 2 @ Philadelphia 3. A highly anticipated showdown between the last two Eastern Conference champions lived up to its billing before a national TV audience.  Pittsburgh came in with an Atlantic Division-best 44 points, riding a 12-game win streak and Philadelphia right behind them at 43 points.  Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins’ lineup after missing four games with a knee injury and scored both Pittsburgh goals, both on the power play.  However, Malkin took an interference penalty half-way through the third period and the Flyers capitalized.  Defenceman Chris Pronger’s shot from the point was deflected into the net by Scott Hartnell for the game-winner.  The victory gave Philadelphia the overall NHL lead in the standings.

December 23 – Pittsburgh 3 @ Washington 2 (SO). As HBO cameras and microphones documented the proceedings for the 24/7 series, the Penguins and Capitals produced a “made-for-TV” game in the season’s first clash between the two rivals.  Pascal Dupuis ended the contest in the seventh round of the shootout after 65 minutes of electrifying intensity.  Crosby continued to torment Washington by opening the scoring and assisting on an early third period go-ahead goal.  Pittsburgh’s penalty killers weathered an early storm but Caps’ blueliner Mike Green broke the dam with a point-blank power play goal in the second period and teammate Mike Knuble later scored shorthanded.  The game featured a penalty shot save by Michal Neuvirth on Malkin and an overtime video review that confirmed a sprawling goal-line glove stop by Marc-Andre Fleury on Green.

December 28 – Atlanta 3 @ Pittsburgh 6. Crosby added more highlights to his spectacular start when he scored two goals, four points and stretched his consecutive-game point-scoring streak to 25, the longest by an NHL player in 18 years.  His 65 points opened a 13 point lead on his next closest pursuer, Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay.  Crosby’s second goal, his 32nd on the season, was a dazzling display of speed and anticipation as he split the Atlanta defence then quickly flipped the puck past Ondrej Pavelec.  No one could have guessed that it would be his final goal of 2010-11 or that his point streak would end the next night against the lowly Isles or that the Penguins, 25-11-2, would never again equal such a lofty record for the remainder of the campaign.

January 1, 2011 - Washington 3 @ Pittsburgh 1. Hardly anyone remembers that Eric Fehr scored twice for the visiting Capitals or that Malkin, perhaps paying homage to the football surroundings, did a partial Lambeau Leap into the Pittsburgh bench after scoring the game-opening goal.  It almost seems incidental that the game held at rainy Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was the fourth New Year’s Day NHL Winter Classic.  Rather, everyone remembers the blindside hit delivered by now ex-Capital centre David Steckel to the left side of Crosby’s head seconds before the second intermission that led to a season-ending concussion for Crosby.

February 2 – New York Islanders 0 @ Pittsburgh 3. The first goalie vs. goalie fight in several seasons ended swiftly in a knockout when Pittsburgh netminder Brent Johnson drilled injury-prone Islander Rick DiPietro with a left hook to the jaw seventeen seconds before the final horn.  The remarkable series of events was precipitated in part by DiPietro taking a subtle swipe at Pens’ agitator Matt Cooke as the latter skated by the New York goal crease.  As a scrum ensued in the corner, DiPietro gestured to Johnson to come down the ice and the two met near the Isles’ blue line.  A total of 72 penalty minutes were handed out on the play and 102 for the game, a total that would be dwarfed by the rematch nine days later.

February 12 – Pittsburgh 3 @ New York Islanders 9. Still stewing about what they perceived as lack of disciplinary fairness by the NHL plus the humiliating result on the scoreboard and the punchout suffered by their teammate back in Pittsburgh, the Islanders decided to take matters in their own hands.  After taking a 6-0 lead on the visitors, the Islanders instigated several brawls, battering the Pens, resulting in two lengthy delays and chaos on ice.  Matt Martin sucker-punched Maxime Talbot, Micheal Haley began fighting with Johnson to exact revenge only to see Pittsburgh enforcer Eric Godard leave the bench and intervene.  Trevor Gillies charged Pens’ rookie Eric Tangradi, giving him a concussion then taunted the fallen player as he left the ice.  The result: 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 3 suspensions and a $100,000 fine to the Islanders.

February 23 - San Jose 3 @ Pittsburgh 2 (OT). A fairly unremarkable contest served as a microcosm of the Penguins’ season.  Forward James Neal and defenceman Matt Niskanen had been acquired two days ago from Dallas to inject offence into the flagging, injury-ravaged Pittsburgh roster but despite 35 saves from Fleury including a breakaway stop in overtime, the goal-starved Pens fell short.  Tyler Kennedy scored twice including a desperate pulled-goalie effort with 50 seconds remaining in regulation but Patrick Marleau whose breakaway was stopped by Fleury, scored on a rebound with 4 seconds left to clinch the game for the Sharks.

March 5 – Pittsburgh 3 @ Boston 2. Pittsburgh arrived in Boston at the end of a five-game road trip having lost six of their past seven games while the Bruins were riding a seven-game win streak.  Momentum seemed to swing in Boston’s favour as overtime began after David Krejci tied the game with 33 seconds remaining in regulation.  It was talented rookie centre Dustin Jeffrey, 23, who stepped up in overtime to score his second goal of the game, giving the desperate Penguins two much-needed points as they continued to stay remarkably afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Jeffrey’s game-winner was a solo effort.  He stole the puck from Boston defenceman Dennis Seidenberg in the neutral zone, then raced into Bruins’ territory before depositing the puck past Tim Thomas.

March 20 – New York Rangers 5 @ Pittsburgh 2. The Blueshirts scored four unanswered goals in the third period to dump Pittsburgh in a game that featured another controversial Matt Cooke hit.  At 4:36 of the final period, the Pittsburgh winger delivered an elbow to the head of New York rookie Ryan McDonagh at the centre ice boards earning Cooke an elbowing major and a game misconduct.  Cooke would be suspended for the remainder of the regular season and first playoff round, a total of 17 games.  Besides the obvious danger involved on the play, the incident was stunning for the simple fact that amidst all the ongoing talk on concussions, head shots and increasing player safety, one of the most notorious repeat offenders in hockey would once again commit such an act with the klieg lights of the NHL already shining in his face.